


Enlightenment

by ParaCord



Series: The Many Mini Mantis Adventures [3]
Category: Star Wars: Jedi: Fallen Order (Video Game)
Genre: Adventure & Romance, F/M, Idiots in Love, Kissing, Post-Star Wars: Jedi: Fallen Order, Romantic Fluff, Teasing, Tooth-Rotting Fluff, Trust
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-09-08
Updated: 2020-09-08
Packaged: 2021-03-06 19:01:25
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 6,541
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26353846
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ParaCord/pseuds/ParaCord
Summary: Cal and Merrin explore an abandoned Jedi temple, and they learn more about the Force, the Jedi, and each other.
Relationships: BD-1 & Cal Kestis, Cal Kestis & Merrin, Cal Kestis/Merrin, Cere Junda & Cal Kestis, Cere Junda & Merrin
Series: The Many Mini Mantis Adventures [3]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1876894
Comments: 6
Kudos: 60





	Enlightenment

**Author's Note:**

> Hello everyone, and welcome to my obsession, part 3!
> 
> Do you have to read the other stories in this series before you read this one? No, not really, just know the relationship is already established by this point (but it might help understand some of my references, and can’t we always use some more Cal and Merrin in our lives?)

“What’s your favorite place you can’t ever go back to now?” Greez looked over to Cere.

She pulled her headset off and brought it to rest in her lap. “Because of the Empire? That’s tough...The Eedit Temple on Devaron. The light was so strong there, you could feel it all around you.”

“What happened to it?” Greez cautiously asked.

“The war happened to it. It was abandoned in the middle of the Clone wars, but the Empire destroyed it. Like they do to everything that has meaning in this galaxy.”

“We could still go to it, no?” Merrin butted in from her spot over on the couch.

Cere got up from her seat in the cockpit and went to sit next to Merrin.

“It’s in ruins,” Cere admitted. “Destroyed in an orbital bombardment.”

“Cal has explored ancient Zeffo tombs, can he not find his way through the ruins of your temple?”

“Merrin, I want to be able to go back, but we just can’t.”

“Is that because there’s nothing to find or because you are afraid?”

While Cere usually appreciated Merrin’s blunt personality, she found herself cornered and opposed to her words. And it was because Merrin was right. Cere let out a heavy sigh.

“I’m not confident that the light of the Temple will feel like it used to. Tapping into the dark side changed me, and I’m not sure what would happen if I surrounded myself in a place bathed so heavily in the Force.”

“I did not trust Jedi for years. But when I actually listened to one, he changed my life.” A Maybe that is how the Force is for you, and you need to not be blinded by your own distrust in yourself.”

For having little knowledge of the galaxy beyond her limited experience on Dathomir, Merrin was always surprisingly insightful.

“Thank you, Merrin.” Cere placed a hand on her knee. “You may be right. I’ll have to think about it for myself, but I’m confident you would get something out of it...But this Jedi that changed your life, do I know him by chance?”

“Perhaps. Does the one you know talk a lot and have a droid as a pet?” Merrin quipped.

Cere pleasantly laughed at her. “How are things with you two? I know everything is still new for both of you.”

“It is strange, but when I am with him I feel...at home. Like I am no longer alone.”

“I don’t think that’s strange at all. It’s common that we find comfort more in people than in places.”

“I have spent my whole life on Dathomir, yet I do not wish to return unless Cal was with me.”

“You know, I didn’t know a lot about the Nightsisters before you joined us. Just small things I’d heard or read about over the years, and it was never anything good. But you’ve truly defied all my expectations. And I’m sure Cal feels the same way.” Merrin gently smiled at her in response, but she rolled her head away to look in the other direction. “You’re not very good at taking compliments are you?”

Merrin solemnly closed her eyes and exhaled, before turning back to Cere. “A life used to serve the will of another does not leave room for self praise.”

“Well,” Cere said as she removed her hand from Merrin’s knee and stood up from the couch. “I’d get used to it. You’re a beautiful, young woman, and I’m confident that Cal will never let you forget that. And speaking of him, I want to hear his opinion on going to the temple. Thank you for opening up my eyes, Merrin.”

* * *

“Cal, can I talk to you?”

He was bent over the metal counter at the back of the ship, focused on his lightsaber as he made small improvements to the handle. BD-1 intently watched from his spot on the corner of the table. Cal made his final adjustments, and set the equipment down before giving his full attention. 

“Of course, Cere.”

She made her way across the room to sit down on his small cot.

“You’re the only one on the  _ Mantis _ who understands how dangerous the dark side can be. Greez doesn’t know anything about the Force, and Merrin is…”

“She’s a Nightsister, I understand.” A subconscious grin grew across his cheeks. “There’s a lot of things we’re still trying to teach each other.”

Cere smiled at his statement. “I’m glad. You two can learn a lot from each other.”

“I don’t think you came to find me to talk about Merrin. Not this time anyway.” Cal leaned back against the workbench and crossed his arms over his chest.

“No...Greez and I were just trying to figure out our next destination, and he asked me what my favorite place was that I can never go back to…It’s the Temple of Eedit.”

Cal perked up at the subject of their conversation. It had been years since he’d been to a Jedi temple. “I heard it was abandoned during the Clone Wars.” 

“It was, and then it was ultimately destroyed by the Empire. But you and I both know that just because the temple might be in rubble, the presence of the Force does not vanish.”

“Do you...want to go back there?” Cal pushed himself off the workbench, and BD-1 quickly reacted to jump onto his back before he was out of reach. He relaxed himself into a seat next to Cere on his bed. “Could that strong of a presence of the light still cause a pull to the dark side?”

“I don’t know, Cal,” she said as she averted her gaze away from his. “I’ve been...scared.” She took a quick breath before turning back to Cal. “But it was actually Merrin who made me think about it a little bit more. She said my fear of myself is preventing me from seeing the most likely outcome.”

“Merrin does tend to make us think about things differently doesn’t she?” Cal quietly chuckled at her. “But I think she may be right, Cere. I mean...I saw what happened to you on Nur. But I know you’ll always be strong enough to make the right choice.”

“Thank you, Cal...I’ll be sure to tell Greez to set our coordinates for Devaron then. I also think this will be a great opportunity for you and Merrin. Show her what the light side of the Force is like.” 

* * *

“So...Devaron, huh? Does this mean I get to go back to the Outlander Club next?”

“I don’t know Greez, you chose our last stop and look where that got us.” Cal swiveled in his co-pilot’s seat to face Greez.

“I don’t know what you mean. We all came out fine and you and the witch lady seemed to enjoy your time from what I saw of ya.”

“Do you mean the part where I was unconscious for most of the night?” 

“No, no, no, I mean that part where I walked in on you two and you were undressing each other with your eyes.” Cal’s face lit up bright red. “I’m just thankful it wasn’t on my couch. Or in my chair.” Greez ran a hand over the armrest and gave it a loving tap.

Merrin overheard the tail end of Greez’s statement and headed over to join them in the cockpit, leaning against the doorframe with a hand on her hip. “You know I am still considering using your arm as a sacrifice.”

“Oh no, what did I do?” Greez dropped his head in despair. He rotated around in his seat to face her. “Is it cause of the Brood drugging Cal? I had no idea they’d be on Numidian Prime!” 

Cal wordlessly watched their interaction.

“No, that is not the reason. This time.” Merrin approached Greez and leaned forward to place her hands on his armrests. “It is because you do not know how to knock and because rule number two would no longer apply.” She snuck a quick smirk over in Cal’s direction.

Cal mulled over the silly rules Greez had laid out for them, and he snickered at what Merrin implied. The captain’s chair would be up for grabs with a three-armed Latero on board.

“Well, uh, what about if I made a fifth rule?” Greez stammered out nervously.

“I am listening,” Merrin deadpanned. 

“Okay, okay. Rule number five: If the poncho is on the floor, knock first on the door?”

Merrin glared at him from under her brow. “You are lucky you have not taught me to be a pilot yet.” She pushed herself off his seat and started back towards the main cabin.

“What’s that supposed to mean?” Greez quivered, a slight tremor to his voice.

She paused in the doorway and turned over her shoulder. “You can figure it out,” she said and continued her way back out of the cockpit.

Greez eventually overcame his stupor and calmed himself down. He leaned out of the side of his chair, looking down the galley to see if Merrin was in earshot before turning back around to grab the controls.

“Cal, can you please control your space witch girlfriend? I’m pretty sure she’s gonna murder me in my sleep!”

Cal crossed his arms over his chest and contentedly reclined his seat. “No, I don’t think she’d do that.”

“You really think so?” 

Cal laughed at the desperation in Greez’s voice. “Yeah, she’d want you to be awake for it.”

There was a short moment of silence as Greez shook his head.

“She’s really rubbin’ off on you, ya know?”

“I made fun of you before we met her, Greez.” Cal sat back up straight and swung around to face out the  _ Mantis’ _ front window.

“Yeah, yeah, I know. I don’t mean like that. I mean like how much happier you look now. Your face just lights up every time she’s around. I mean...mine does too, but it’s because I’m still terrified of her. But yeah, you look much better than the sad, wary kid we picked up back on Bracca.” 

“Yeah...She’s really changed my life, Greez. It’s not about her being a Nightsister or saving my life or anything. It’s just her.” He absently stared out at the stars as they traveled through hyperspace with a small smile at the corner of his lips.

“I get it, yeah, you two are in love and I want you both to be happy. But please, Cal...please don’t do anything in my chair.”

* * *

Landing the  _ Mantis _ on the jungle floor of Devaron was a seamless process. The Empire’s havoc on the area left it deserted and uncontested. Slim chances of running into any bounty hunters this time.

Cal left Greez alone in the cockpit to find where Merrin had dashed away to after her rather...suggestive comments. A happy BD-1 jumped off the holotable in front of Cal.

“Oh hey buddy, you ready for another adventure?” Cal squatted down till he was eye level with his friend.

“ _ Boo-deep!” _

“You too?” Cal whispered. “I thought I was the only one who wanted to see Merrin’s reactions.”

BD vigorously shook his head before somehow making a provocative gesture with his eyes.

“Okay BD, I can’t promise you  _ those _ kinds of reactions,” he laughed at him as he placed a hand on the droid’s head, “but let’s do our best to show her around.”

_ “Bee-eeeep,” _ BD-1 excitedly chirped and ran behind Cal to hop on his back.

Cal stood up and saw Cere on the lounge seats by the kitchen, her hands on her knees with a pensive expression on her face. 

“The Force is so strong here, Cal. I feel it already.”

“Is it how you remembered?” He cautiously approached her. 

“Yes...the light is strong...but you must understand the idea of going inside the temple still scares me.” She turned her head to look up at him before she rose off the couch. “You and Merrin should go though. Besides, the last time you two tried to have some quality alone time, it didn’t end so great. Maybe it’ll go better this time.”

“Are you sure, Cere?”

“Yes, and I’ll be okay,” she said as she waved a hand in reassurance. “Maybe I can convince Greez to go outside and work on the  _ Mantis _ , and I can admire the temple from over here. I don’t think he’s as scared of the creatures on this planet as he is of Dathomir. Speaking of that, you two should get going. It’s already the afternoon here, and I don’t know what kind of things come out at night.”

“And that’s why we have Merrin.” Cal gave Cere a playful punch to the arm before eagerly continuing to the back of the ship. 

The door whisked open, and he saw Merrin rustling under his bunk. She pulled out his red-trimmed  _ Shyyyo _ poncho and slipped it on in place of her typical Dathomirian robe. 

“Is...Is that my poncho?”

“We are doing Jedi things, are we not? I thought this is what a  _ Jedi _ wears.” She took a step towards him and spread her arms out to display the whole effect.

“Admit it,” Cal smirked at her. “You just liked it when you tried it on last time.”

“A Nightsister,” Merrin said as she flipped the hood over her head, “never reveals her secrets.”

She was smiling at him under the shadow of the hood, her auburn eyes reflecting the pale, artificial light of theThen how about I show you some of mine? There’s a lot to learn in a Jedi temple...even if it is partly destroyed.”.

“What if I show you some secrets then?”

“Lead the way,  _ Jedi _ ,” she retorted.

“Whatever you say,  _ Nightsister _ .”

Cal turned around and began heading for the exit of the ship with Merrin in tow. They walked down the ramp and saw Cere and Greez in conversation towards the rear of the  _ Mantis. _

Cere looked over at them and exchanged a wordless nod to Cal, and he replied with a quick acknowledgement of his own before she reengaged her focus on Greez. Merrin watched the interaction with a furrowed brow as her eyes bounced back and forth between the two.

“Will Cere not be joining us?”

“No, she’s still nervous about her connection to the Force. She thinks opening up too much might draw her to the dark side. But you should be happy you even convinced her to come back here. I never thought she would agree.”

Merrin’s gaze was fixed on Cere.

“I hope one day she can learn to trust herself. I know what it’s like to be lost in anger and fear.” She returned her attention to Cal and set her hand on his face, trailing her thumb along his cheek. “But there is always the other side of the storm and the people who help get you there.”

Cal was lost in her words. They truly had changed each other’s lives.

Merrin let her fingers smoothly glide off his skin before she bent down and touched her palm to the ground. “This planet is so...” she paused as she craned her neck to look at him. “I do not know how to describe it.” She stood back up and looked down the extensive platform, large, swooping vines created a canopy over the entire length of the bridge that led to what was once the entrance of the impressive temple.

Cal watched her and moved to stand next to her. 

“There’s a reason the Jedi built a temple here.” He put his hands proudly on his hips. “Like Ilum, there’s a vergence in the Force on this planet.”

“A vergence?” Merrin questioned. 

“A concentration of the Force. I guess you could say Dathomir was a vergence too. But more on the dark side.”

Merrin crossed her arms over her chest and turned to face Cal, still unconvinced by his faith in the various sides of the Force.

“I still do not understand the Jedi’s fear of this dark side. A Nightsister channels magick through herself, yet we stay ourselves.” 

“I...I don’t think light and dark is something I can explain, Mer.” Cal placed his hands on her shoulders, being cautious of applying too much pressure to the still healing skin on Merrin’s upper arm. “It’s something I have to show you.”

“I would like to see it.” She smiled at him and let her arms fall back down to her sides as he tucked her loose hair back behind her ear. 

“Well we probably need to find a way inside the Temple first.”

“What about that?” She pointed down the bridge to a crumbling, yet magnificent arching door that decorated the front of the temple.

“It’s a good place to start.”

“Then I will meet you there,” she retorted with a sly grin on her face and vanished in her green tendrils of magick.

Cal turned and strained his eyes to look down the pathway to the dilapidated entrance. He could barely make out Merrin at the base of the once elegant doors. He laughed and ran down the platform to catch up to her. 

He slowed down when he got close to the deteriorated steps that led to the grand doorway. There was a strong pull in the Force, but the light of the temple was only half of it. He bent down to touch his palm to the ground, and an echo flooded his senses.

Merrin watched him curiously. She’d only seen Cal use his psychometry one other time. He’d been in such anguish when he had to repeat back what he saw. She hoped that the memory wasn’t as heartbreaking as the one embedded in her ring. But given the conditions of the temple and the involvement of the Empire, she didn’t have much hope.

He opened his eyes and was visibly stunned and confused. Merrn sat down next to his kneeling form on the stairs and placed a hand on his that was still pressed to the concrete. She wrapped her fingers under his, attempting to avert his attention from the grizzly scene he’d just witnessed. Cal knew Merrin didn’t know what he saw and that she wasn’t going to ask. He wasn’t sure he wanted to tell her either, but she deserved to know. She deserved everything.

He rotated to sit next to her on the step, and he brought their now intertwined fingers to rest atop his knee. Cal looked back down the long expanse of the bridge, the  _ Mantis _ quietly parked at the other end. He was acutely aware of Merrin’s silent, unwavering gaze, and he felt the gentle caress of her thumb run over his as he gathered his words.

“There was a battle here. During the Clone Wars. A Jedi Knight and his Padawan caught trying to defend the temple from a Separatist attack.”

“The temple was abandoned after this, was it not?” Merrin said softly.

“Yes, but...it’s what happened during the battle. The Padawan watched as his Master was killed…” Cal looked over to meet Merrin’s eyes. “By a Nightbrother.”

It was now Merrin who looked away and fixed her stare on a distant nothing. Her eyes glazed over, deep in thought as she pulled the hood of the poncho down to her shoulders.

“There is a reason we were feared by the galaxy, Cal. And why I have not told you much about my sisters. My people were not perfect. Much like your Jedi.”

“You’re right, Merrin...The Jedi weren’t perfect, and I don’t really know a lot about your sisters. But what I do know is that none of that matters. We’re survivors, and there’s a difference between me trusting the Nightsisters...and me trusting  _ you _ .”

The corners of her lips lifted as her thoughts went back to what Cere had told her earlier. His words meant everything to her. Cal has said he trusted her on multiple occasions, but she never tired of hearing it. Years of giving in to Malicos’s manipulation didn’t leave much to be admired in herself. 

“I did not say you do not trust me. I know you do.” She smiled at him with a mischievous smirk. She slipped her hand out of his grasp and snaked her arm between them to smoothly unhook his lightsaber from his belt. “You gave me your lightsaber as proof, no?” She held it out in front of her, eyes glued to the beams of Devaron’s sun gleaming off the hilt.

“How many times will you use my own words against me?” 

Merrin snapped her head back to look at him with a subtle grin.

“Until you learn to not talk so much.”

“I can’t win can I?”

“I can think of a way where we both win.” She dragged a finger over his lips and down his chin to his neck, gently grazing the light stubble he’d refused to shave. 

Cal really wished he had some alcohol. He nervously ran his hand through his hair.

“And what will that take?” he asked, a deep longing in his eyes and a knot in the back of his throat.

Merrin leaned forward, and whispered into his ear, her hot breath warming the side of his face in addition to the rest of his body. 

“For you to stay on my good side.” She slid her hand back between them to clip the lightsaber back in place before standing up.

The sun shined the same way on Merrin as it did on the lightsaber, cascading her in an ethereal glow as Cal stared at her from below, still awestruck on the step. Her beauty always amazed him. 

He stood up to join her and quickly wrapped his arms around her waist before she could escape. 

“What do you think, BD?” he asked the droid over his shoulder. BD-1 whistled in response. “Yeah, I think all her sides look pretty good too,” Cal said as he looked back at her with a cheesy grin. He was treated with something he rarely had the privilege of seeing: a full smile that stretched across Merrin’s cheeks from ear to ear. 

She put her hands on either side of his face and pulled him closer so that their foreheads were touching. “You are lucky I love you, Cal Kestis.”

He closed the distance and finally brought his lips to hers. Their kiss was soft and gentle, but everything they needed in the moment. 

Merrin eventually pulled away and unhooked his arms from her midsection.

“ _ Bee-wooop, _ ” BD-1 eagerly trilled.

Merrin attempted to translate his speedy binary. She was improving, but she still struggled to learn the droid’s language.

“You have found a way in?” she asked quizzically.

“ _ Bwooop!” _ BD nodded his head frantically at her and jumped back down from Cal’s back. He took off along the edge of the building and rounded a corner.

Cal and Merrin watched the droid until he was out of sight before they snapped their attention back to each other. They exchanged a wordless reply and both took off running to catch up to him.

The path was littered with debris and various vines and weeds that had overgrown the vicinity. They found BD perched in front of a small break in the side of the temple. He climbed his way back up to Cal’s shoulder, and Cal shot Merrin a quick glance before guiding himself into the slender crevice.

Merrin amused him by squeezing through the cramped tunnel with him. She could just as easily teleport to the other side, but she was genuinely trying to appreciate the idea of the light side of the Force, maneuvering through all the cracks and crevices and trying to let the Force guide and flow through her as they moved along. She also just enjoyed spending more alone time with Cal, even if that meant wedging herself through the dusty decrepit walls. 

The only sounds they made were their heavy breathing against the damp concrete and their clothes weaving and bristling against the obstacles in the tunnel. They emerged to the other side to find a vast hallway, covered with a multitude of murals marred by blaster fire and statues that had been toppled and defaced. 

Merrin watched as Cal slowly approached one of the more intact paintings and touched a hand to the crumbling concrete. He craned his head up to take in the full image, studying the depiction with a strong curiosity as BD-1 lit up in a bright blue to scan the picture into his databanks.

It would have been a beautiful moment, a boy and his droid enjoying their exploration together, but something felt familiar about the scene. A sacred place tarnished and ruined by a common enemy.

Merrin’s voice lulled Cal out of his concentration.

“Does the eerie silence ever upset you, Cal?”

He was used to exploring alone. He always had BD-1 with him, but they only occasionally spoke to each other to offer words of comfort and encouragement. 

He turned his head in Merrin’s direction, surprised by her question.

“What do you mean?”

“It reminds me of Dathomir. The silent whispers of my sisters crying out for revenge. It used to bother me.”

She took several steps forward to join Cal at the base of the mural, touching her hand to the wall and running her fingers over the fading image.

“Used to?”

She paused her movements and tilted her head towards him, offering a sideways glance. “I find it does not bother me when I’m with you.” She turned her attention back to the painting, pretending to pay no notice to Cal’s bold smile. 

He couldn’t tell if her straightforward comment was meant to spark some kind of emotion in him or was just a factual statement about how she now felt, but either way, he was beaming and he couldn’t suppress his happiness.

* * *

They explored several more broken rooms filled with ancient memories of the once great Jedi Order, every alcove teeming with shattered artifacts and collapsing walls. They made their way back into the main hallway and saw at the end a pile of rubble blocking a path as light crept through the spaces between the rocks. There was a slender gap, just wide enough to squeeze through, which might lead them to a more open area of the temple if they were lucky. 

Cal exited the small sliver of the rocky passageway that led into a brightly lit courtyard. Debris was strewn about the ground and the walls crumbled like the rest of the temple, but the level of destruction was small compared to what they’d already seen. The Force was exceptionally strong in the area. A moderately sized fountain decorated the center of the grassy lawn.

“This area must’ve been used for meditation.” He approached the nearly pristine fountain and sat cross-legged on the thick edge that protruded out from the stagnant water. BD-1 hopped down from his shoulder and nestled himself into the grass.

“How can you tell?”

“Like how you can feel the energy of a planet...I just...know. Have you ever meditated before?”

“I have prayed to my sisters.”

“Come here.” Merrin walked over and sat down in front of him, mirroring his pose and placing her hands on her knees. He reached to take her hands, her fingertips resting on his palms. 

“Is that necessary?” There was a hint of laughter in her voice.

“Well...no, but...I like to think it might help.”

“As you wish, Cal Kestis.” She smiled at him and observed as he closed his eyes, relaxing and taking long deep breaths. She tried to match her cadence to his and eventually found herself in sync, the tension releasing from her body as she sank into the comforting embrace of the Force.

Cal felt Merrin’s familiar dark presence that always kept him begging for more of her. It was like how her hands felt under his shirt as she ran her fingertips along his scar. Left with chills, but undeniably wanting the touches to continue.

He tried clearing his thoughts. The Jedi Order would not approve of what he let his mind drift to during meditation these days. But Cal found he couldn’t stop thinking of her. She genuinely brought him peace, and his short time with her had created more happiness in his life than he thought possible.

Merrin was in a similar situation. She found Cal’s essence in the Force, a warm glow that entrapped you in its embrace. Like a moth to a flame, she was entranced and couldn’t help falling further and further into his light. 

She saw the vergence Cal was talking about. It wasn’t something he could explain, he had to show it to her. But what he didn’t realize was that she would not find it in the temple. She would find it in him.

And It made her love him even more.

She opened her eyes back up to look at him. His red hair offered a dim shine in the reflection of the fountain’s pool. That same aura of peace had washed over his features that she had seen when he’d been unconscious from the effects of the bounty hunters. 

He must’ve sensed her eyes on him because he slowly drew up his lids with a simultaneous smirk.

“You felt the light didn’t you?”

“Yes, but,” she said as she slipped her hands out of his grasp with the faintest tug at the corners of her mouth, “it was not in the temple. It was in you.”

At first he was surprised by her words, but then he thought about that enticing darkness that wrapped itself around Merrin every time he reached for her in the Force. Her dark magick never bothered him. He could see the beautiful person she was beyond the magickal ichor flowing through her veins, and he trusted her and loved her despite their differences. Magick was a part of who she was, but it wasn’t everything. Merrin had shown him someone could dip into the dark side and remain themself. He realized his light must be the same for her.

Very quickly his mind drifted back to what Malicos had said in the tomb on Dathomir.

_ Stifled by tradition. Deafened by our past glories. Blinded by endless war. _

The Jedi needed to learn. Cal needed to understand the darkness just as much as Merrin needed to understand the light.

“Do you ever think the Jedi were wrong? Our code, our morals, light and dark...does any of it matter when you see what the Empire does?” Cal gestured to the destruction around them. The once beautiful courtyard now a battered memory. He softly placed a hand on Merrin’s knee. “What they did to us?”

Merrin’s eyes glazed over at his question and she spoke quietly under her breath.

“Stand amongst the bodies of a thousand dead souls, and ask the ghosts if your Jedi code matters.”

Cal let his head drop as he closed his eyes. He pictured Jaro Tapal dying in his arms. He felt the fear in Trilla as Cere ran off. He remembered the riff in the Force as the clones turned. He saw a young Merrin surrounded by her fallen sisters...Everything was preventable had they opened their eyes to the truth.

Merrin’s comforting voice brought him back to the present as she placed her hands on top of his.

“Their silence is your answer.” 

“I...I don’t know anymore, Merrin. I don’t know if only choosing one side is right. But I do know that I should always trust in the Force and that I can always trust you.”

“It is as I said earlier. That silence used to bother me. A reminder of all I had lost. All of our mistakes.” She turned back to face him. “But now I am at balance when I am with  _ you _ ,” Merrin said as she gently pushed a finger into his chest, “and I find that the haunting quiet no longer troubles me.”

It all made sense now. Why being with her had never felt wrong. Cal’s initial thoughts had plagued him, inherently going against everything he’d ever learned about a Jedi’s way of life: having a romantic relationship, and one with a dark Force user at that. But his doubts had quickly faded. Merrin brought him peace, happiness, and  _ balance _ , something he didn’t even realize he had been missing until she said it _. _ His light to her dark.

Incorporating that into the new Jedi Order would be a future task. He had much more important things to focus on at the moment. 

Merrin was watching him intensely, her eyes burning into his, and without thinking, he quickly reached to place a hand on the back of her neck, wrapped the other around her waist, and pulled her towards him till their mouths met. 

The momentum caused Merrin to fall forward and pin Cal to the edge of the fountain. 

It felt like their kiss in the morning on Numidian Prime, full of passion and desire and an unceasing need to be close. Cal moved his hands up and down her back before grabbing at her hips, and Merrin pushed herself as close as possible, latching on to fistfuls of fiery hair. She gently bit his bottom lip and dragged her teeth over its edge before running her tongue over his scar.

His eyes rolled to the back of his head as she trailed her lips down his jaw, lightly rubbing her cheek against the short scruff that adorned his chin as she sucked at the junction of his jaw.

Merrin could tell how excited Cal was getting, and she laughed against his skin. If the Jedi didn’t approve of attachments, they definitely wouldn’t approve of what she was doing to him in a Jedi temple courtyard. But much like her chance for vengeance, she was finished waiting for this too. 

She continued her assault on his neck and lips while Cal fumbled around to slip his hands underneath Merrin’s poncho to fervidly run his hands across her slender abdomen. 

Suddenly a loud noise clamored closely in the courtyard. Cal startled and sprang up from the concrete lip of the fountain, reaching for his lightsaber in the process.

He then stared in horror as Merrin tumbled over into the dingy, dirty water.

He tore his focus away to quickly look for the source. Off in the corner near a majestic tree stood a large animal, grazing on the grass at its feet. BD-1 scurried off to scan the creature.

Cal slowly looked back at Merrin, her gaze fixed on him in an unwavering scowl. He was remorseful for clumsily pushing her over, but he couldn’t deny it that she looked  _ really _ good. The way her hair hung slightly lower under the weight of the liquid, how her loose strands of hair clung over her eye, how her skin glowed in a thin, golden sheen from the reflection of the setting sun, and how the beads of water seemingly traced the dark tattoos that swept across her face. 

He blushed and nervously ran his hand through his hair under the combination of his reckless mistake, the intensity of her stare, and his overwhelming thoughts of her. 

Merrin let a smile tug at the corner of her lips in Cal’s embarrassment. He could be an idiot at times, but he was her idiot. 

He extended his arm to her to help pull her out of the water. 

“Merrin, I’m so…” he started to say before she lunged for his hand and dragged him into the fountain with her. He emerged in a fit of laughter. “I probably deserved that didn’t I?”

“Yes, you did.”

The massive creature made another grunt and BD-1 warbled in their direction.

“You want to check it out?”

“How do you know it is friendly?”

“Well…” he scratched at the back of his neck, “it hasn’t attacked us yet.”

“Fine. But if it does, I am not helping you.” Merrin stood up and stepped over the concrete edge out of the water before she burned in a plume of green smoke as she dried herself off with her magick. 

“Can you do that for me too?” Cal begged from his spot still in the water.

“I could have.” She turned back to face him as she crossed her arms over her chest. “But you are no longer on my good side.”

“Well I don’t know,” Cal said as he pushed himself to stand up. “I’d have to say you still look pretty good from over here.”

Merrin shook her head at his sly remark, but couldn’t contain the grin that overwhelmed her features before she started walking toward BD-1 and the unknown creature. Cal swiftly hopped out of the fountain and jogged to join her. 

The animal was beautiful. A glowing white hide covering a massive body of rippling muscle. A circular pattern of golden horns set atop the head, two large black eyes sank into its face, and a full mouth of ivory teeth chomped on the grass.

BD-1 eagerly chirped at Cal’s foot.

“It’s called a Pikhron. BD says they’re herbivores,” Cal told Merrin as he cautiously moved forward and set his hand on the animal’s back, running it down the Pikhron’s side in one long, smooth motion. It picked its head up from the ground and let out a satisfactory mewl at the touch. Merrin intently observed, wearing a look of distrust at the large animal.

“This isn’t Dathomir, Mer. Not everything is trying to kill you,” Cal laughed at her. He reached to grab Merrin’s hand before lightly placing her open palm to the Pikhron’s back. He guided her stroke along its side, letting her feel the calm, content breaths of the creature under its strong ribcage. “See?” he whispered to her. “It’s happy.” 

Cal felt the tension in her hand disappear as her fingers relaxed into the soft fur. He removed his hand from the top of hers and watched amusingly as she continued to delicately caress the animal’s side.

“Everything on Dathomir was about power and control. It is odd to me how this creature only seeks comfort and peace.” 

“Are you talking about the Pikhron,” Cal asked as he stepped behind her to snake his arms around her waist, “or yourself?” he breathed into her ear as his still wet hair tickled her face. 

She splayed her hand out and massaged her fingers into the fur. Merrin hadn’t realized it, but she felt a connection to the animal. Besides being trapped in a desolate and abandoned place, it’s outside appearance was rather intimidating, and although it appeared ferocious, it really only wanted love and affection. 

She could sense Cal’s smug look over her shoulder, but he didn’t pester her any further.

“We should probably head back. It’ll be dark soon.”

Merrin turned around in his arms.

“Are you afraid of the dark, Cal Kestis?”

“No, but I won’t be able to see you if there’s no light.”

“That is okay. You are all the light I will ever need.”

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks for reading! Hope you enjoyed it :)
> 
> So Pikhrons in the courtyard at the Temple of Eedit is a real thing. Wookieepedia continues to save my life.


End file.
